(This post is super delayed - this trip took place in April 2016)
Last summer Elaine and I started discussing meeting somewhere in the middle for a holiday over my spring break. We talked about places in Europe and were seriously thinking of doing the Amalfi Coast, mainly because other European destinations would not be the best weather in early April. When we started doing more detailed research we realized that we couldn't find any good direct or even 1 stop flights with reasonable layovers to get from DC to Positano. All total travel times ended up being minimum 20 hours. We decided that since they could come to Dubai in 15 hours that it didn't make sense. Ultimately, we agreed to just say f the travel time and looked into more tropical destinations. I'd been dying to go to Costa Rica, having heard nothing but great things and Felipe and I get a discount at Dreams resorts so we decided to go for that. We invited Holly and Pokes and then decided to surprise our Mom by booking her trip and splitting the cost between us. We made her a video with images of Costa Rica to tell her that we were taking her on an all expenses paid trip there in April and showed her on Christmas morning. Unfortunately we realized in February that of course Zika had also spread there. Luckily Elaine and Bryan were able to get a full refund from the resort and airline because it was on the Zika list. We decided to go ahead with the trip, as Felipe and I and Mom and Pokes were already booked and paid for.
Felipe and I had quite the journey in front of us, it ended up being 20 something hours and we connected through Toronto on the way there. We flew into San Juan and then hired a car to drive us the additional 5 hours to get to Guanacaste where we'd be staying. We went in to the trip with the idea that the journey there would be an adventure in itself and in the end it really wasn't that bad. We actually ended up enjoying the 5 hour drive from the airport to the resort. We had a fantastic driver who told us all about the country as we drove through different parts. One question I had was how Costa Rica could be so safe considering it's neighbors have so much turmoil and crime. He said the country actually abolished the military in 1948 and invested that money in education. He said the country is based on a belief in peace and harmony and that vibe permeates throughout. It was really interesting to learn about and we really enjoyed all of the people that we met there and the energy of the country. As the Costa Ricans say - pura vida! (translates to pure life)
When we pulled up to the resort, one of the employees opened the door and said, "your mom's been waiting for you" haha. I was like how the hell do that know that? Classic Susie though, chatting up everyone at the resort! One of my favorite parts of the resort was that there were monkeys running all over the place! They would climb around and jump from balcony to balcony every morning, looking for scraps of food. They were adorable! I basically stalked them every morning, I was up around 5am anyways from the time difference so was able to just sit and wait for them to come out.
In the mornings they also had water aerobics in the main pool, which Susie and I gamely participated in! Meanwhile Felipe and Pokes lounged poolside, drinks in hand. Whenever our travel involves staying at a resort we always make it a point to get out of the resort and see more of the country. There were many cool options to see/explore in Costa Rica. Our main goal was to hike in the rainforest as it was something none of us had seen before. We chose an excursion to "Sensoria" which involved hiking through the rainforest and swimming in natural waterfalls. It was amazing. We had a phenomenal guide who taught us so much about the rainforest and Costa Rica in general. The waterfalls and natural springs were some of the most stunning sights I've ever seen without a doubt.
Last summer Elaine and I started discussing meeting somewhere in the middle for a holiday over my spring break. We talked about places in Europe and were seriously thinking of doing the Amalfi Coast, mainly because other European destinations would not be the best weather in early April. When we started doing more detailed research we realized that we couldn't find any good direct or even 1 stop flights with reasonable layovers to get from DC to Positano. All total travel times ended up being minimum 20 hours. We decided that since they could come to Dubai in 15 hours that it didn't make sense. Ultimately, we agreed to just say f the travel time and looked into more tropical destinations. I'd been dying to go to Costa Rica, having heard nothing but great things and Felipe and I get a discount at Dreams resorts so we decided to go for that. We invited Holly and Pokes and then decided to surprise our Mom by booking her trip and splitting the cost between us. We made her a video with images of Costa Rica to tell her that we were taking her on an all expenses paid trip there in April and showed her on Christmas morning. Unfortunately we realized in February that of course Zika had also spread there. Luckily Elaine and Bryan were able to get a full refund from the resort and airline because it was on the Zika list. We decided to go ahead with the trip, as Felipe and I and Mom and Pokes were already booked and paid for.
Felipe and I had quite the journey in front of us, it ended up being 20 something hours and we connected through Toronto on the way there. We flew into San Juan and then hired a car to drive us the additional 5 hours to get to Guanacaste where we'd be staying. We went in to the trip with the idea that the journey there would be an adventure in itself and in the end it really wasn't that bad. We actually ended up enjoying the 5 hour drive from the airport to the resort. We had a fantastic driver who told us all about the country as we drove through different parts. One question I had was how Costa Rica could be so safe considering it's neighbors have so much turmoil and crime. He said the country actually abolished the military in 1948 and invested that money in education. He said the country is based on a belief in peace and harmony and that vibe permeates throughout. It was really interesting to learn about and we really enjoyed all of the people that we met there and the energy of the country. As the Costa Ricans say - pura vida! (translates to pure life)
We brought drinks down to the beach every evening to sit and watch the gorgeous sunset
When we pulled up to the resort, one of the employees opened the door and said, "your mom's been waiting for you" haha. I was like how the hell do that know that? Classic Susie though, chatting up everyone at the resort! One of my favorite parts of the resort was that there were monkeys running all over the place! They would climb around and jump from balcony to balcony every morning, looking for scraps of food. They were adorable! I basically stalked them every morning, I was up around 5am anyways from the time difference so was able to just sit and wait for them to come out.
In the mornings they also had water aerobics in the main pool, which Susie and I gamely participated in! Meanwhile Felipe and Pokes lounged poolside, drinks in hand. Whenever our travel involves staying at a resort we always make it a point to get out of the resort and see more of the country. There were many cool options to see/explore in Costa Rica. Our main goal was to hike in the rainforest as it was something none of us had seen before. We chose an excursion to "Sensoria" which involved hiking through the rainforest and swimming in natural waterfalls. It was amazing. We had a phenomenal guide who taught us so much about the rainforest and Costa Rica in general. The waterfalls and natural springs were some of the most stunning sights I've ever seen without a doubt.
Stopping on the way to Sensoria for some fresh brewed Costa Rican coffee
Breathtaking
An amazing trip and a country I can't wait to go back to!
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